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Players Who Retired Early

Line and Length

Line and Length

Cricketer Of The Year
Cricket followers will often comment on players' longevity, but what of those Test players who retired before they turned 30? By this, I mean actually retiring rather than being dropped and then retiring.

Here are a couple of classic examples.

Paul Sheahan made his Test debut against India in Adelaide when, as a 20 year old, he made an impressive 81. His first test century was a chanceless 114 in Kanpur in 1969. He toured England twice as well as India and South Africa. As a 26 year old he was promoted from the middle order to opener and, following his second Test century (127 against Pakistan in 1972) Wisden wrote he was "entrenched as the opener Australia had sought for several seasons". However, he played in just 2 more Tests but averaged 52.2 in the 73-74 Sheffield Shield season where he was a key player in Victoria's victory. This was his final first class season as he retired at 27 to concentrate on his teaching career.

Raman Subba Row born in England to an Indian father and an English mother he was a member of the powerful Cambridge University side before playing a few games for Surrey and then joining Northamptonshire. Taking over as captain in 1958, he led the side for four seasons and achieved considerable success as a batsman, scoring the county's highest ever innings, 260 not out, in 1955 and then bettering it with 300 against Surrey in 1958. He played in thirteen Tests for England, opening the batting regularly from 1959 to 1961 and averaging 46.9. He scored centuries in his first Test against the Australians in 1961, and in his last match against them at the Oval. At the end of that 1961 season he abruptly retired at 29 to concentrate on his business career.

I'm sure there are many more examples that CW members could give but these two readily spring to mind.
 
Line and Length

Line and Length

Cricketer Of The Year
The Sean said:
Bob Cowper. Retired at 28 to become an international financier instead. And did very, very well indeed.
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A fine example. 27 Tests with an average of 46.8 speaks volumes of his ability. Interestingly he holds the record for the greatest disparity between Test batting average at home (75.8) and away (33.3).
 
T

tony p

State Regular
Cyril Walters (England)
RETIRED after the 1935 English season at the age of 30. (His last match he was 29)
An Amateur, played 11 Tests, 784 runs@52.26, last Test series was v Australia 1934.
He was secretary & Captain of Worcestershire and resigned at the end of 1935 due to ill health. (Averaged 40 in 1935, last ever home match he played at Worcester, scored 118+94 v Kent, next match, his final ever, 53 v Essex at Chelmsford)
He never played again, decided to concentrate on his marriage & business, even though he said he would play when he could.

He played all his 11 Tests in a 14 month period, which included a tour to India in 1933/34 where he averaged 71 and his only Test Hundred.
 
Molehill

Molehill

Cricketer Of The Year
Trescothick probably had another 5 years of International Cricket in him, although his early retirement from that part of the game allowed for the fast tracking of Cook.
 
A

AndrewB

International Vice-Captain
Peter May similarly played his last Test aged 31.
Ted Dexter is an unusual case in that he basically retired injured aged 30, but came back 3 years later and played a couple more Tests.
Colin Milburn similarly retired due to damaged vision aged 27, but played some county cricket (with little success) a few years later.

More recently, Zafar Ansari retired aged 25.
 
Immenso

Immenso

International Vice-Captain
Bruce Edgar and John F Reid for NZ both retired in 1986 for work reasons. Edgar an accountant and Reid a school teacher. One 29, the other almost bang on his 30th birthday.

How NZ still managed to draw at home v the Windies in their next series, with that hole in their top order, is a bit of a miracle.

Edgar kept playing for Wellington for another 4 years at least, until 1990, and dominated most seasons.

Reid, didn't keep going, but I vaguely recall him getting called up out of retirement to play for Auckland again in 1988, when Auckland missing half their team on test duties, and scored a century. They didn't have a final in those days, but I think it was effectively the championship deciding game.
 
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Migara

Migara

International Coach
Ravi Ratnayeke - Right arm fast medium bowler and left hand batsman. Averaged 35 with the ball and 25 with the bat. That batting average was on the ascendancy when he suddenly retired when he was 30 and moved to Australia. Would have been SLs best all rounder, HAd way more potential with the bat than Vaas, who is probably the best test all rounder SL has. Here he opens the batting against WI


Last 10 matches of his career averaged 39.7 with the bat, and 33.2 with the ball. (22 tests altogether).
 
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Aritro

Aritro

International Regular
Line and Length said:
Cricket followers will often comment on players' longevity, but what of those Test players who retired before they turned 30? By this, I mean actually retiring rather than being dropped and then retiring.

Here are a couple of classic examples.

Paul Sheahan made his Test debut against India in Adelaide when, as a 20 year old, he made an impressive 81. His first test century was a chanceless 114 in Kanpur in 1969. He toured England twice as well as India and South Africa. As a 26 year old he was promoted from the middle order to opener and, following his second Test century (127 against Pakistan in 1972) Wisden wrote he was "entrenched as the opener Australia had sought for several seasons". However, he played in just 2 more Tests but averaged 52.2 in the 73-74 Sheffield Shield season where he was a key player in Victoria's victory. This was his final first class season as he retired at 27 to concentrate on his teaching career.
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Ended up being the headmaster at Melbourne Grammar which probably has a prestige about it in teaching circles (and also probably pays the most money).
 
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